Country Racing Victoria

The first Country Cup of the season has been run and won 🏆 🎉

Nell Carter has the biggest win of her career, with 11yo Mangione on start no. 116, taking out the bet365 Coleraine Cup with Mel Julius aboard 👏🏼

Congratulations to all connections!

Meechy kicks off bet365 Coleraine Cup day aboard Terrestrial Light for Wilde Racing 🙂‍↕️🙌🏼

🙂‍↕️🙌🏼🐎🌸

Happy Friday! Stunning weather for the 2026 bet365aus Coleraine Cup today 🏆

The bet365 Coleraine Cup kicks off Country Cup season, this Friday! 🥳

Event & ticket info at country.racing.com/coleraine/calendar/coleraine-cup

Fantastic news for Bendigo Jockey Club 👏

MEDIA RELEASE: country.racing.com/bendigo/news/2026/09/22/bendigo-cup-day-to-remain-bendigos-local-public-holiday

The Bendigo Jockey Club has welcomed the City of Greater Bendigo’s (CoGB) decision to retain Bendigo Cup Day as Bendigo’s local public holiday, thanking Councillors and the Bendigo community for their continued support of one of the region’s longest-standing major events and engaging in the consultation process facilitated by the CoGB.

The decision provides important certainty for the Bendigo Cup to remain in its traditional and strategically placed Wednesday timeslot immediately prior to Melbourne Cup, while allowing the Club to continue building the event’s contribution to Bendigo’s economy, tourism industry and broader community.

The Club acknowledges that there were always going to be differing views throughout the public consultation process and recognises the responsibility it now has to continue demonstrating how the public holiday and Bendigo Cup Day can generate benefits that extend well beyond the racecourse. A particular focus will be continuing to strengthen our engagement with Bendigo’s business community and building on our existing efforts to use Cup Day as a platform to encourage residents and visitors to support local businesses and spend locally.

Commencing next week, the Bendigo Jockey Club will launch on social media, some video content featuring members of the Bendigo Jockey Club team visiting local businesses and highlighting that racegoers can source everything they need for their day at the races right here in Bendigo. From fashion and beauty through to hospitality, the campaign encourages racegoers to support Bendigo businesses in the lead-up to Cup Day.

The Racing.com network will also be in Bendigo producing tourism video content showcasing the region’s many attractions and experiences, encouraging Cup visitors to extend their stay and discover more of what Bendigo has to offer, from its iconic sites and attractions to its diverse food and dining culture as a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. This will be broadcast nationally across their free to air TV and social media channels.

The economic impact of Bendigo Cup Day is significant with the 2025 event attracting more than 6,500 people, including almost 5,000 Bendigo residents, while independent economic analysis and Council data estimated that the event generated between $2.9 million and $3.2 million in local economic activity.

More than 1,500 visitors travelled to Bendigo primarily because of the Cup, generating more than 1,000 visitor bed nights and approximately $934,000 in new visitor expenditure. The event also supports more than 250 employment and community-group opportunities, with the Club prioritising local contractors and suppliers wherever possible.

Importantly, the Club believes the public holiday can be an opportunity for the entire community to celebrate Bendigo, regardless of whether people choose to attend the races and acknowledges the Bendigo social calendar at this time of year, is one that should be celebrated.

The Bendigo Cup and Bendigo Agricultural Show are two longstanding and important Bendigo community events that currently sit just five days apart. The Club greatly values its relationship with the Bendigo Agricultural Show and believes the success of both events demonstrates the strength of Bendigo’s spring social calendar. The Show attracts approximately 20,000 people across Friday and Saturday, before the community comes together again the following Wednesday for Bendigo Cup Day. Rather than competing with one another, the Club believes the two events provide different experiences and collectively create an important period of community activity and celebration for Bendigo.

The existing public holiday arrangement also provides an important tourism opportunity, allowing Bendigo to remain open for business over the Melbourne Cup long weekend and capitalise on visitors leaving Melbourne by encouraging them to stay, dine, shop and experience our region.

The Bendigo Jockey Club is encouraging the community and local businesses to embrace the opportunity and make the 2026 Bendigo Cup on Wednesday, 28 October a celebration of Bendigo. This includes having workplaces consider making Cup Day part of their annual social calendar, and residents to bring family, friends and colleagues together for one of Bendigo’s great days.

Whether it is attending the races, meeting friends at a local venue, or simply enjoying the public holiday, the Club wants the day to generate activity and celebration throughout the city.

Quotes attributable to Bendigo Jockey Club CEO Paul Scullie:
“We are extremely grateful to Council and the Bendigo community for their continued support of Bendigo Cup Day. We also recognise that not everyone supported retaining the Cup as our local public holiday, and we respect those views. Our responsibility now is to continue demonstrating that this day can provide genuine benefits right across our community.”

“One of the messages we heard throughout this process was the importance of ensuring our business community benefits from the public holiday, and we see that as a real opportunity. We want people attending the Bendigo Cup to shop locally, stay locally, eat and drink locally and experience our region. Cup Day provides us with a platform to showcase Bendigo, and we intend to work even harder with our business and tourism community to maximise that opportunity.”

Quotes attributable to Bendigo Jockey Club Chairman Jack Lyons:
“Bendigo Cup Day has been part of the fabric of our community for generations, and Council’s decision provides the Club with important certainty to continue investing in the event and growing the benefits it delivers for Bendigo.”

“This is bigger than a race meeting. It is an opportunity for Bendigo to come together and celebrate our city, while welcoming thousands of visitors and showcasing our region to a much broader audience. We encourage the community and local businesses to embrace Cup Day and help us make it an even greater celebration of Bendigo.”

Country Racing Victoria representatives Chas Armytage, Briga Fleidner and Scott Whiteman, joined by Harry Coffey, Racing Victoria Chairman Tim Eddy and Geelong Racing Club CEO Luke Rayner, came together to highlight the industry's contribution to the economy and the vital role it plays in regional communities. 💚

The Geelong Cup and Manangatang Cup were on display in the halls of Parliament House in Canberra last Monday, showcasing the rich history and enduring significance of country racing.

Ten Commandments, Ciaron Maher Racing and Thomas Stockdale with the Golden Nugget win at Ballarat Turf Club this afternoon 🏆🐎

Congratulations to all connections!